Conch-L,
Many of us have enough geologic training to realize that the Earth is dynamic and change is the norm. Homo sapiens has been living under relatively good weather conditions for the lifetime of our species. Unfortunately we have grown in numbers at a time of relatively stable conditions, and are very dependant on those conditions staying the same in order to prevent famine and other problems for our too large and too inflexible population. Weather will, of course, vary radically over time. Heat is never distributed evenly, it is the product of winds and currents which distribute it unevenly over the globe. Some areas will be warm in spite of their latitude due to currents (eg Enland in the Gulf Stream.) If you add more heat to the system, you can expect shifts in the distribution system. (Ever try holding a high pressure hose in place?) Even small shifts, like the El Nino in the southeast Pacific, cause worldwide changes in the weather. Some areas becoming colder while others becoming warmer is to be expected. Raising the level of greenhouse gases may not make a huge difference in our lifetime, but a small change might make the grain belt in western North America a desert, sand dunes and all. It might also flood low lying areas, like the Florida Everglades, or Bangladesh. Can we prove to everyone's satisfaction that this is happening because of man's actions? NO. Should we therefore take no steps to at least slow down the addition of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere? NO. Is it a small price to pay to attempt to keep the world's weather a little less unstable? YES.
Allen Aigen
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From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Ringwald=20Fabien?= <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Cowries show global warming?...
Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 16:53:34 +0200
Hi!
What is also clear is also that 25 000 years ago,which
is a very very little while on the Zoic times the
world went into a glacial era. So let consider it's
yesterday on the geological scale of time!
To illustrate that fact :
take the case of the Scandinavian's shield (composed
of Norway, Sweden, Finland and every countries of
ex-USSR on the Baltic sea). Before the numerous
glaciations, the baltic sea didn't exist, Scandinavia
was up to the sea level from Norway to Lettonia (the
huge quantity of amber and well preserved fossil woods
found ashore, there, indicates that fact). Under the
weight of the thick glacier covering the whole
Scandinavia, the paleozoic shield (the ground) was
pushed down and the central part went under the sea
level. A few thousand years BC, the glacier melts and
gives birth to the baltic sea. The shield, in response
to the the melting, is pushing up again; but on our
scale of time, this is almost imperceptible
Furthermore, the fact that humans is the main factor
of a warming is bullshit. because, the sea level HAS
NEVER BEEN AS LOW AS IT WAS YESTERDAY (I mean during
those glaciations, but it stands low today) . In the
MIddleJurassic time, the sea level was 200 m higher.
So, if the sea level rises again (consequence of a
global warming), it's not the falt of human but it's
just a normal geological event, let say.
And, as Andrew put it in its mail, the level don't
stand still (on a sea level evolution curve, we call
that fourth degree event (translate from french
so...))
.. It goes up and down very frequently. The period of
those fourth degree variation is from 1000 to 10000
years.
We can't stop nature.
Fabien
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Allen Aigen
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